2015/04/09

Day twenty-nine: Begin Again (April, 7)

Day twenty-nine saw me strugiling with too much work and not enough time to dedicate to my one movie a day dare. But skip that was not an opition... and so I got in front of the TV to watch Mr. Nobody...

But, half an hour later, I realized it was too much for my numb mind and I decided to put another one on the DVD player.

Oh, joy!

That time I got it so right that almost scared me. I had seen the trailer for Begin Again at the movie theater but I had not a good impression of it at the time. And so I got biased and didn't even see it on its premiere, despite being directed by John Carney, from my beloved Once.

Well, where do I start? I waltzed during the whole movie. It was such a happy and emotional trip. And happy. And fizzy. I was so in love that I wanted to embrace the TV and dance around the living room.

Carney tells his stories through music and people that orbit around it. Musical performances are never odd in his movies - as it is usual in some movies that present actors performing songs. Here they are sweet and touching. Music is the center of life and human relations for him. Music and love and friendship. Difficult lives, heartbroken characters, star-crossed lovers (an abiding element in his movies) and, of course, good music take us by hand through sweet tales of love, loss and hope.

Prejudices are a futility. I usually got trapped by my own foolishness, and sometimes I refuse to see a movie from a favorite director, for example, because I'm scared to get desapointed. Yes, that happens with me. Life fortunately had prove me wrong in all of my prejudices and fears, though. And Begin Again is the last of this happy, musical, sensitive proof.

Begin Again. Directed and writen by John Carney.

With: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine,

Hailee Steinfeld (She is amazing in a very special role), Catherine Keener

(the ever ex-wife.?). US, 2013, 106 min., Datasat/Dolby

Digital, Color.

PS: Once is one of my favorite films in life, despite being a simple and small production. For one, it is set on Dublin, that I love. Another reason is that, beyond its story and good characters, the movie, although being shoot with two handcams, is not weird or uncomfortable because of the music and the carefully edited sound - even if in a low budget. PPS: A lovely movie with a sweet soundtrack, Once appeared in a sudden way in my life one day, years after I've saw the movie. I was accompying my mother to an ultrasound. In the almost dark room, seated on a chair, slowly I realized that there was a song playing and that was one that I knew well. One song that I liked a lot for some time. A song from a movie... Once!, came to my memory. I told the doctor about my recognition, and from that moment til the end of the exam, we talked about not just Once, but many others movies that had touched our souls and ears and heart with its stories and songs. It was a fortunate encounter that reminded me how movies are present in so many lives, in everyday lives.PPPS: Two days after seeing Begin Again, and it is still with me. There are some movies that made me feel, in some manner or other, the same way. So I thought it would be interesting to indicate them here: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, 2008); Dakota Skye, 2008; The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012... and that's what I remember for now.

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About Me

Hello! My name is Adriana. I see the world and I relate to it mostly through the stories in movies, books, music ... The world of narratives is my favorite. I see, read, hear them ... I love stories, and I also imagine my own from those I meet every day. The love for fictional narratives was why I decided to study them in my post graduate studies. But just that is not enough. So I decided, with the character Amélie Poulain, to travel the world of stories in this blog. Here, I seek a new adventure: watch one movie a day for one year. Experiencing the world through cinema was a way to be aware of it as a child by movies and their stories. However, noticing a big gap in my filmography - and of course in my life -, this blog is a way to change that. And it was, at first, also a project to fulfill my empty days. Now those days are incredibly busy, but this dare is still on! I hope you enjoy this year at the movies with me and Amelie.